2016 PORSCHE 718 BOXSTER REVIEW – VIDEO

or the past 20-years, the Porsche Boxster has been a somewhat achievable entry point to iconic, flat-six Porsche sports car ownership.

But now, with the 2016 Porsche 718 Boxster, the 2.7-litre flat-six has made way for a 2.0-litre, turbocharged, boxer-four – pushing that six-cylinder Porsche goal just a little bit further away. About $160k further away if a 911 is your new starting point.

The move might upset purists, but it is supported by arguments for emissions and efficiencies, and let’s face it, a four-cylinder Porsche isn’t a new thing.

There’s the 356, the 912, 914, 924, 944 and most recently the 968. Not forgetting the 1957 718 RSK Spyder, which is where the new car gets its name. Even going the other way we saw the Porsche 928 push a big atmo V8 for almost 20-years. Sure it was more GT than pure sports but you get my point, you don’t need six-eggs to bake a proper Porsche cake.

Extension: http://mlfree.com/2016-porsche-718-boxster-review-video/

Porsche 718 Boxster - Video

It may look pretty much the same as the old Boxster, but this new one – now called the 718 Boxster, supposedly in honour of the mid-engined, four-cylinder 718 of the early-Sixties - is actually a whole lot more than a mere facelift. And it’s all because of what’s under the bonnet (do mid-engined cars even have bonnets? Who knows…).

The sonorous flat-sixes of old have been trashed for a pair of all-new, quite parsimonious blown four-cylinder jobs, 2.0-litres in the standard 718 Boxster and 2.5-litres in the S. But what they lack in cubic capacity, they more than make up for with added oomph. A standard Boxster now makes 296bhp, where once it made 261, and the S has been upped to 345bhp from 311. 

The result is we now have a Boxster – the entry-level Porsche, if you like – which is capable of 0-62mph in 4.7seconds. That’s 0.8secs quicker than the old car. The S can do it 4.2 seconds, so equipped with the PDK and Sport Chrono pack, a 0.6sec improvement on the car it replaces. 

Here are some more numbers, for Porsche has provided many. A normal Boxster manages 170mph, has 74lb ft of torque more than it used to and, claims Porsche, does a little less than 41mpg – a 5.1mpg increase on the old car. Similarly, the S does 177mph, has 44lb ft of torque more than the old car and manages a combined 38.7mpg. 

Source: www.topgear.com